The present invention relates to an electrical connector assembly. More specifically, the present invention relates to a shielded electrical connector assembly which is used for high-speed digital image transmission between liquid crystal monitors and personal computer main bodies (or multimedia relay boxes), or for high-speed digital image transmission between copying machines and servers.
Conventionally, in order to improve noise resistance in high-speed signal transmission, shielding members are generally provided on housings in which signal contacts are provided, as is shown in Japanese Utility Model Registration No. 2542233. Electrical contact terminals are positioned inside a socket housing to form a socket connector. This connector is constructed so that this socket connector and another plug connector of similar construction are engaged and locked to each other by means of a locking part. The locking part is disposed in a location that is separated from the shielding shell.
Generally, in cases where shielding shells are caused to contact each other, electrical contact parts are disposed on the shielding shells at intervals that are equal to or less than one quarter of the wavelength of the signals transmitted, in order to ensure that the electrical connection is secure and effective. For example, a construction in which a plurality of ground indents are formed at specified intervals around the engaging parts of a shielding shell part is disclosed in Japanese Utility Model Application Kokai No. S63-172071. Furthermore, a construction in which a plurality of spring contact fingers are formed at specified intervals on the inside of a conductive shroud is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,288,247. These contact parts make electrical contact with the shielding shell of the engaged male connector, so that integral electromagnetic shielding is accomplished. Except in cases where the engagement of the two connectors is maintained by frictional engagement, the locking part is disposed in a separate position so that it does not affect the electrical contact parts of these shielding shells.
Furthermore, a locking device in which a plate member is bent outward so that an operating part that is pressed by the fingers is formed on the connector cover is disclosed in Japanese Utility Model Application Kokai No. H3-116674. In the case of this operating part, the plate member is bent in an approximate C shape and caused to protrude from the surface of the connector cover.
In cases where the locking part is installed in a position that is separated from the shielding shell, the problem of an increase in the size of the connector itself arises. Especially in the case of compact devices such as notebook-type personal computers, the space of the connector is limited, so that any extra space required by the shielding can create a major problem. Furthermore, if a construction in which the locking part and shielding shells interfere with each other is adopted in order to reduce the size of the connector, it becomes difficult to maintain the integrity of the contact parts that cause the shielding shells to contact each other at a specified spacing so that the desired shielding performance can be obtained. In the case of the connector disclosed in Japanese Utility Model Application Kokai No. H3-116674, the operating part protrudes, so that it is difficult to use this connector in places where the installation space is restricted.
The present invention was devised in light of the above-mentioned points. The object of the present invention is to provide an electrical connector assembly which makes it possible to obtain the desired shielding performance while being compact in size.
The electrical connector assembly of the present invention has a male connector and a female connector, each of which has an insulating housing that holds contacts, and a shielding shell that is externally mounted on the respective insulating housing. The connectors are engaged with each other and locked to each other. The male connector has a latching arm with a first engaging part. This engaging part has electrical continuity with the shielding shell of the male connector. The female connector has another or second engaging part which has electrical continuity with the shielding shell of the female connector, and which engages with the first engaging part. Both of the shielding shells respectively have a plurality of contact parts which are disposed in the direction perpendicular to the direction of insertion of the connectors, and which contact each other when the connectors are engaged with each other. The first engaging part and the second engaging part act in conjunction to form a portion of the contact parts, so that the plurality of contact parts as a whole are disposed at equal intervals in the direction perpendicular to the direction of insertion of the connectors. The term xe2x80x9cequal intervalsxe2x80x9d also includes cases in which there is some variation in dimensions, in addition to cases of completely equal intervals.
In one embodiment, the contact parts of the female connector may be spring contact parts that protrude from the shielding shell of the female connector toward the shielding shell of the male connector. The contact parts of the male connector may be contact surfaces of the shielding shell of the male connector that contact the spring contact parts.
The latching arm may be made of metal with the first engaging part being an engaging hole that is formed in the latching arm. The second engaging part may be an anchoring projection which is caused to protrude from the shielding shell of the female connector, and which engages with the engaging hole.
The male connector of the present invention is equipped with an insulating housing that holds contacts, a shielding shell that is externally mounted on this insulating housing, and a locking part that is disposed on the outside of this shielding shell and that engages with a mating connector. The locking part has a metal latching arm with the approximate shape of a shallow inverted V. A front end of the arm is fastened to the tip end portion of the shielding shell, and a rear end is held so that the rear end can slide on the surface of the shielding shell. The latching arm has an engaging part which is located near the front end part of the latching arm. The engaging part engages with a mating engaging part of the mating connector. A pressing part is located on the rear part of the latching arm.
In one embodiment, the engaging part may be an engaging hole formed in the forward-facing surface of the latching arm that has the approximate shape of a shallow inverted V. The pressing part may be the rearward-facing surface of the latching arm that is inclined toward the rear. The term xe2x80x9capproximate shape of a shallow inverted Vxe2x80x9d refers to the approximate shape of a peak with a relatively low height.
A covering enclosure may be formed on the outside of the shielding shell with the tip end portion of the shielding shell exposed. This enclosure may have a finger-catch part on the rearward-facing surface that makes it possible to push this rearward-facing surface.
In the electrical connector assembly of the present invention, the male connector has a latching arm which has a first engaging part, and this first engaging part has electrical continuity with the shielding shell of the male connector. Furthermore, the female connector has a second engaging part which has electrical continuity with the shielding shell of the female connector, and which engages with the first engaging part of the male connector. Both shielding shells have a plurality of contact parts which are disposed in the direction perpendicular to the direction of insertion of the connectors, and which contact each other when the connectors are engaged with each other, with the first engaging part and the second engaging part acting in conjunction to form a portion of the contact parts. The plurality of contact parts as a whole are disposed at equal intervals in the direction perpendicular to the direction of insertion of the connectors. Accordingly, an electrical connector assembly can be obtained which has the desired shielding performance, i.e. noise resistance, while being compact in size.
The contact parts of the female connector can be spring contact parts that are caused to protrude from the shielding shell of the female connector toward the shielding shell of the male connector. In such embodiment, the contact parts of the male connector are contact surfaces of the shielding shell of the male connector that contact the spring contact parts of the female connector. The electrical connection of the two shielding shells of this configuration can be made much more secure, and the reliability of the noise resistance can be improved.
In an embodiment where [a] the latching arm is made of metal, [b] the first engaging part of the latching arm is an engaging hole that is formed in the latching arm, and [c] the second engaging part of the female connector is an anchoring projection which is caused to protrude from the shielding shell of the female connector, and which engages with the engaging hole of the latching arm, the latching arm is a plate-form metal part with a simple shape that has no projections. Accordingly, an electrical connector assembly which has a strong and compact latching arm can be obtained.
The male connector of the present invention is equipped with an insulating housing, a shielding shell that is externally mounted on the insulating housing, and a locking part that is disposed on the outside of the shielding shell. The locking part has a metal latching arm with the approximate shape of a shallow inverted V. The front end of the latching arm is fastened to the tip end portion of the shielding shell, and the rear end is held so that this rear end can slide on the surface of the shielding shell. The latching arm has an engaging part which is located near the front end part of the latching arm, and which engages with an engaging part of the other connector. A pressing part is located on the rear part of the latching arm. Accordingly, it is possible to obtain a male connector which has the desired shielding performance (noise resistance) while being compact in size.
In an embodiment where the engaging part of the latching arm is an engaging hole formed in the forward-facing surface of the latching arm, which has the approximate shape of a shallow inverted V, and the pressing part is the rearward-facing surface of the latching arm, which is inclined toward the rear, a compact male connector which has a strong and simply constructed latching arm can be obtained. Furthermore, in a case where a covering enclosure is formed on the outside of the shielding shell with the tip end portion of the shielding shell exposed, and the enclosure has a finger-catch part on the rearward-facing surface that makes it possible to push this rearward-facing surface, a male connector with good operating characteristics can be obtained.